Page 24 of An Inevitable Marriage

I blinked once, twice, and suddenly Liam was right there, looming over me like a predator ready to pounce. My poor heart could hardly stand it, galloping to a wild rhythm I had no hope of containing.

He inched his stupidly gorgeous face closer to mine, and I just about forgot how to breathe.

“From here on out,” he sneered, “everything you doismy business.”

Even with my insides going haywire, I held his stare. “Not my family. I’m doing this for them, and that’s all you need to know.”

Those icy-blue eyes bored into mine, rooting me to the spot while he slowly tried to peek into the very depths of my soul.

He stared and stared, the frown lines on his forehead growing deeper and deeper while my skin tingled and burned with a desperate unease I’d never felt before.

Seriously, what was it about this man that had every cell in my body going crazy?

Just as I couldn’t take it anymore, he finally stepped back and spun around. But instead of going to the kitchen where we’d been talking, he kept going.

I had no idea what came over me, but for whatever reason, I hurried after him.

“Liam?”

He stopped but didn’t face me. “What?” The word came out short and clipped.

I tried—and failed—not to take it personally.

“We weren’t done with the…m-marriage stuff.”

I didn’t hear as much as see him release a long breath. “I’m sure you and Rafe can handle it. You’ve been doing just fine without me so far.”

This time, when he stalked off, I made no move to stop him.

Chapter six

Liam

Theseatundermyass was comfortable and luxurious, and yet I couldn’t sit still. Couldn’t keep my knee from doing that jumpy thing, nor could I stop the tension from coiling low in my gut.

It was fucking laughable.

“You’re sure about this?”

Unaware of the sudden bout of nerves coursing through my veins, Tristan shuffled the papers in his hands into a neat stack. “Why not wait it out? For all you know, you could meet the woman of your dreams tomorrow.”

I already had.

Literally.

Everlee fucking Sutton—Snow—had made numerous appearances in my thoughts, some awake, some not, since I’d met her eight days prior. Oh yeah, for eight fucking nights straight, I went to bed dreaming of long, inky hair and mesmerizing green eyes.

Until the past sank its icy claws into me, and horrified screams brutally yanked me from my slumber.

Ignoring how my skin tightened at the memories, I cleared my throat. “I’m sure. She needs this as much as me.”

“That’s what I’m afraid of.” Tristan leaned back in his seat and crossed his arms over his chest. “Her situation is dire. Desperate even. I’d hate to see you taken advantage of because you think there’s no other option.”

There were few things I truly prided myself on. The ability to read people was one of them. It was why Tristan and Rafe never stood a chance on our poker nights. Why I was good at my job.

Snow wasn’t doing this for herself. She was doing it for her family.

She’d said it and even proved it when she’d so vehemently told me her family was none of my business. At her fiery words, I’d felt a whole host of emotions. Sorrow the strongest, with envy not far behind.